Teachers called on to imagine life in Kent for an all-expenses weekend break

Nestled between the exotic otherness of the continent and the buzz of the metropolis, Kent offers a cultural and calm haven that enjoys all the benefits of an isolated idyll combined with super connections to idylls of a more populated nature.

The county – dubbed the Garden of England for its number of orchards and hop gardens – holds historic significance to the British Isles, but is also forward-thinking and innovative.

As part of that new thinking, Kent County Council Schools have embarked on a Facebook competition to entice people to Living and teaching in Kent. The competition calls on teachers to imagine what it would be like to live and work in such a culturally diverse environment, which includes energetic urban secondary schools, along with serene village primary schools on the coast.

There’s plenty for entrants to get their teeth into: the White Cliffs of Dover, those cultural icons of fortitude, also share the geography of Matthew Arnold’s melancholy Dover Beach; the bleak beauty of Dungeness is home to a remarkable variety of wildlife, making it a site of international conservation importance (as well as holding the Prospect Cottage, formerly owned by renowned filmmaker Derek Jarman).

There’s a more than a nod to maintaining the work/life balance while still passionately pursuing a career. What would sum up your ideal lifestyle opportunity? Maybe it would be a reality in Kent.

With more than 600 schools, there’s plenty of opportunity for teachers in Kent.

All you need to do to sample some of the joys the county has on offer and the chance to win a weekend with all expenses paid in Kent is write up Your Perfect Kent Day imaginings, and submit them.

The stories will be shortlisted and offered up to the public to vote on their favourite. The one that gets the most votes wins.

And why not draw on the experiences of others while you’re at it? Tweet and put call-outs on Facebook to crowdsource your experience, maybe then you’ll unearth hidden gems of a county that could be your new home.